However, like many people, I have been dwelling quite a bit on it - probably far too much - how it is affecting people directly (those with COVID and those self-isolating) and indirectly (those who have lost their jobs, both temporarily and permanently, because their company or site has shut down); how it is affecting our general way of life (shopping, entertainment, visiting family and friends); and also, how we are going to finally get out of this situation - the so-called exit strategy.
The short-term response that has slowly been adopted around the world - that of isolating as many people as possible, for as much of the time as possible - is clearly the best solution to stop the spread of the virus for now and limit the number of deaths.
And in that short-term, people are generally reacting and coping fairly well with this, let's be honest, massive curtailing of our normal societal liberties. We are mostly managing to put on that brave face, stiff upper lip, call it what you will - that we will do our bit and come out the other side in one piece, albeit a bit shaken and disturbed by it all.
There have been many positive stories emerging out of this global crisis; there is the selfless work of NHS staff and other critical workers; but there are also those going out of their way to help others - whether that be chatting to someone stuck on their own, going shopping for an elderly relative or neighbour, running some kind of free online tuition to keep people engaged / exercised / learning.
There is another side to all of this though and it is one that is only just starting to be mentioned out loud - and that is because it is a dark place we usually don't like to visit in public.
Mental health.
For all the impetus and campaigning that has gone on over the last few years by businesses and government alike on the subject, talking about your mental health is still something of a taboo subject.
But phase two of the crisis, as we hopefully start to plateau in terms of new COVID cases, will start to focus around how and when we return to some form of normality.
There is much uncertainty about what format this will take (it may well be very different in every country, depending on their experiences with the virus to date) - and this uncertainty all adds to the mental health picture.
That's because people crave certainty in their lives. If you told people that they had to isolate for two weeks, four weeks, maybe even six weeks - but at the end of that period all would be well and we could return to normal - most people would be fine with that. That scenario offers a defined ending, which means you can plan how you will cope, both mentally and financially.
But the messages are mixed. We may have to do this for three weeks (initially in the UK - 12 weeks for those in 'at-risk' categories) - but then that may be extended for another indeterminate period, or, the restrictions may get even more severe. Who knows?
How do we get out of it? Do we have to continue like this to some degree for a year or more until a vaccine is ready? Will we come out of this for a few months and have to do it all over again in the autumn / winter? Will warmer summer weather negate some of the worst impacts of the spread of the virus?
All we have is questions and so few answers yet. This is all bad for our mental health - this lack of certainty feeds anxiety, which can feed depression.
What if you own a small (or large) business whose doors are closed for this indeterminate amount of time - or you lost your job as the restrictions took effect - or a pay-cut - or an undefined period of unpaid leave (I am on a pay cut for at least 3 months as a result of this - but at least I still have a job to go to)?
The stark fact seems to be that when we get major hits to the economy (both national and global), these mental health concerns grow. And when they grow, so does that other dark topic - suicide.
I have yet to hear anyone much talk about this in public - but we should. For despite everything that the UK government (and other governments around the world) is doing to protect businesses and individuals as much as they can through all of this, we will still fall into recession and many businesses will not re-open their doors when the time comes.
This means, potentially tens of thousands of people in the UK looking for work, and hundreds or thousands of business owners picking up the shattered pieces of all they worked and sacrificed so much to build.
Even without all this, the suicide rate in the UK had hit a 16-year high in 2018 (at 6,507). Three-quarters of those were men and there was a rising trend in the under-25 category (up almost 25%), although the 45-49 year old range remains the highest rate. I'm sure not all of these were related to unemployment and financial issues, but I bet plenty were.
The Samaritans issued a report on 'Men and Suicide; why it's a social issue' in 2012, which looked at some of the traits that are factors;
- Personality traits
- Masculinity - taking risks to react to stressful situations
- Relationship breakdowns - which are more likely to negatively affect men
- Mid-life issues - the highest rate of poor mental health
- Emotional illiteracy - men are more likely to have a negative view of therapy
- Socio-economic factors - like unemployment
Suicides are two or three times more likely in a time of recession and men in the most deprived areas of the country are ten times more at risk than the highest social classes!
In 2009-11, during the last big global recession, there were over 10,000 more suicides across Europe and North America because of it!
It doesn't take a rocket scientist, or indeed a psychiatrist, to see that there is a second potential health crisis looming on the horizon - one that is even harder to manage, as it often remains so hidden.
So in these difficult times - watch out for each other, check on each other, be nice to each other - and most importantly look for signs of depression among your friends, family and neighbours;
- continuous low mood or sadness
- feeling hopeless and helpless
- having low self-esteem
- feeling tearful
- feeling guilt-ridden
- feeling irritable and intolerant of others
- having no motivation or interest in things
- finding it difficult to make decisions
- not getting any enjoyment out of life
- feeling anxious or worried
- having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming them/yourself
These signs won't always be on obvious display or shout themselves from the rooftop - so please be vigilant - and also, look after yourself!
Research:
https://www.samaritans.org/about-samaritans/research-policy/middle-aged-men-suicide/
https://www.samaritans.org/about-samaritans/research-policy/suicide-facts-and-figures/
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-suicide https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/clinical-depression/symptoms/
